Timeline

Many of you have asked questions like "When you you be able to bring your boys home?"  I thought I'd give you a timeline of this adoption to help you know how to pray for us.

We are adopting through a medical needs program from China.

January 19, 2015--Medical checklist received by our agency
March 23, 2016---Referral accepted for Josiah
April 1, 2016------Adoption application accepted
April 2, 2016------Home study began
April 5, 2016------LOI to China for Josiah
May 18, 2016-----Referral accepted for Gideon
June 6, 2016-------LOI to China for Gideon

Currently we have one document we are waiting for our home study provider to receive to complete the home study.  Brian also has to complete some financial info.  I requested the document a second time this week hoping to get things moving.  At the same time, I am assembling our dossier documents so that when our home study is completed, we can move forward ASAP.  Will you pray that we can get this completed in a timely manner?  Thank you all for your support of our adoption!  Here are some pictures of the boys just because that's what you're here to see, ha ha!

 

We just received the above updated picture of Josiah last week.

Zoom in on this picture of Gideon.  He is adorable and this picture is very telling of his personality.  He was uneasy around strangers with cameras, so they had to take this picture from far away.

In other news, we sent care packages to our sweet boys today.  They should receive them in 7-10 business days. I'm so excited!!!!

VISA help

I wanted to update you and let you know that I have talked with both of our senators' offices. They are going to try to assist me. Please keep praying!

National Visa Center

I spoke with the National Visa Center. Our documents still have not been sent to Taiwan. They told me to call later today or tomorrow morning or later this week! Please keep praying.

Prayer Need

Our visa information still has not arrived in Taipei. We have a small window of time for it to arrive or we will have to postpone our trip. Our appointment is currently on the 7th. No appointments are available until after the 20th if we have to reschedule. The National Visa Center has our information. I talked with them after 11:00 p.m. They can give me no specific time or day that it will be sent out. Please pray that they send it to Taipei tomorrow morning.
Thank you to all of you who already have been praying.

So What's New?

1. Nathanael is doing well. He remains on medication, but the doctor doesn't feel he needs a follow up appointment.

2. He gained lots of weight in the hospital. In fact he gained so much weight that the ladies helping to care for him nicknamed him "sumo"! :0)

3. The National Visa Center has issued a search for our documents. Also, our congressman's office has sent our information to their contact to try and help get the approval sent to Taiwan.

Please continue to pray and trust God with us!

Home from the Hospital

I wanted to quickly update. Nathanael is home from the hospital. He is doing better and was scheduled to see his doctor. I have not heard anything since then.

Please keep praying for the VISA situation. I am receiving conflicting information. Please pray that everything gets clarified and completed correctly. We have less than 2 weeks until we leave! That being said, I know God is in control and I am holding on to that.

Travel and Visa

We will be leaving for Taiwan on Easter Sunday afternoon!!! We are so excited! Please keep praying about the VISA, as it has not arrived at the National Visa Center, yet. We serve a big God who has worked out so many details and we are praising HIM!!!!

"I will be glad, yes filled with joy because of You. I will sing Your praises, O Lord God above all gods." Psalm 9:2

Updates and prayer requests

Praise the Lord! Nathanael is doing much better and should be released from the hospital at least by Monday!

Please keep praying about the VISA processing, as they have not received our information, yet and we are looking at traveling very soon.

God has worked out so many details. We are trusting him to continue to do so!

Thank you so much for your prayers!

We love you all,
Brian and Heather

Please Pray--Nathanael is back in the hospital

Please pray for Nathanael. I just received notice from Bev that they put Nathanael back in the hospital on Thursday. He has pneumonia and serious bronchitis. They went to see him at the hospital tonight. He did not recognize them at first with their masks on. The held him, sang to him, and patted him. By the time they left, he was talking with them (making baby sounds). He is eating well.

Please pray that he will get better soon. Please pray also, that our VISA processing will be expedited so that we can go and bring him home!

Now it's the National Visa Center

I received notice that our I-600-A application has been approved and sent to the National Visa Center. Today, I called the National Visa Center to make sure that our approval is cabled to Taiwan. They were unable to find it in their system and stated that they have probably not recieved it, yet. Please pray that they receive it soon, so they can process it. Then pray that the process is completed correctly. I was told that they create a file at the National Visa Center, then everything is sent to the appropriate consulate. No one knew anything about cabling it to Taiwan. Please pray for no delays in going to Taiwan to bring home our sweet little boy!

"I prayed for this child and the Lord answered my prayer and gave him to me." I Samuel 1:27 NCV

Our Court Date!

Our court date is tomorrow night at 8:15 p.m. central time. Please be in prayer that all goes well! Please pray for the judge, Nathanael's birthmom, and those who represent us in court.

"We prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted what we asked of Him." 1 Samuel 1:27

USCIS update

I received an email just now from USCIS stating that there was a continued problem...BUT they had talked with my social worker for the homestudy and she is bringing in a correction. Once they have received the correction from her....wait for it...wait for it...THEY CAN SEND ME AN APPROVAL LETTER!!! Thank you so much for your prayers! Please continue to pray for our courtdate which will be Monday night at 8:15 p.m. CST.

Adoption Discipleship

We received new pictures of Nathanael today! And we heard that everyone is on the mend at the orphanage after a bout with the stomach flu. We cannot express how grateful we are to the caregivers who are taking such good care of Nathanael and all of his friends!
Please remember to pray for the USCIS situation. The Secretary of State's office received the correction yesterday, but needs to send it on to USCIS in Metairie today. We know God is in control and we are hoping for no delays in bringing our little sweetie home! I know this sounds complicated, but this really is the "par for the course" with international adoption. We are praising the Lord for his help in bringing people into our lives who have walked this road before and have helped us on the journey. It's kind of like "adoption discipleship"--helping one another along the journey of adoption, which we all know is close to the heart of God. I want to do the same for other families.
Please pray for our court date to go well. It is March 9th at 10:15 a.m. Taiwan time..which is March 8th at 8:15 p.m. CST. We would appreciate prayers during the 10-12 day waiting period following court as well. I am meditating on the following scripture as we approach these important days:

"We prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted what we asked of Him." 1 Samuel 1:27

Fingerprinting: Check, Waiting: Check, Check

We completed our biometrics (digital fingerprinting) appointment yesterday with more than a little freaking out on my part! We left 30 minutes earlier than we needed to for the appointment. However, a semi was blocking one lane of traffic on the bridge on I-10 over the lake. It took us over 30 minutes just to cross the bridge. Needless to say, we were late and I was worried that we would not be able to continue with the appointment. Those letters from USCIS can be so threatening, stating that you are abandoning your application if you do not make your appointment time. Anyway, as a newbie, I did not know that they schedule several people for 8 a.m. and we were fine. No problems, Praise the Lord!!!

I am continuing to wait to hear that USCIS has received our corrected homestudy. As of yet, I have requested this information with no response. Please pray that they respond to me soon.

Other than that, we work on the nursery and wait for our court date on March 9th. Please continue to be in prayer for the court date and our birthmom.

Do you see a recurring word in this blog: wait. For now, I am trying to do what the following verse states that David did. I'm trying to improve with the "patiently" part.

"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry." Psalm 40:1

Updates

I wanted to quickly update everyone on the adoption. The glitch with USCIS was that they had not received our homestudy from the state of Mississippi. Our social worker found out that it had been misplaced when the pipes froze and the Secretary of State office in Jackson was shut down. The homestudy should be on it's way to the USCIS office in New Orleans.
We are officially simply waiting for events to take place. This week (Thursday night) is our baby shower for Nathanael at the church (6:30 p.m. if you are planning to attend). Next week, we have a fingerprinting appointment in New Orleans. The following week, we should get an updated picture of Nathanael. And a little over a week after that.....Our court date (March 9th). Please pray for our court date, our birthmom, and Nathanael's health. Thank you so much for sharing in this journey with us!

"As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in Him. For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God? It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect." Psalm 22:31-33

fingerprinting and prayer

We received our letters for our fingerprinting appointment on February 22nd. We are so excited. The glitch has not been explained, but I am hoping this means it is resolved. Thank you all for praying.

Our court date is March 9th in Taiwan. Please pray for our birthmom. She has been on my heart lately. I can not imagine how hard it is for her. I keep remembering the story of Hannah and how she gave up Samuel to live with the priest, Eli. She had promised to give him to the Lord. I cannot imagine making the choices these two women have made. What bravery! Yet, what pain at the same time. I am praying that God is the God of all comfort to her for making this brave choice. Will you join me in this prayer?

Court Date

We have been assigned a court date for Nathanael's adoption. It will be March 9th at 10:15 a.m. Taiwan time. Please pray for Nathanael's birthmom. This day should be a happy day for Brian and I, but a sad one for her. It is not easy to choose for your child to be adopted. Please pray that she receives the comfort of the Lord.

Please pray that we receive notification of our fingerprinting appointment soon, as well. We do not want to be delayed in going to get Nathanael, due to a delay in the fingerprinting.

God is so good. We are so excited about the court date! We can't wait to bring home our sweet baby boy!

"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Proverbs 25:25

Nathanael Is Coming Home From the Hospital.

I received an email from Bev that Nathanael will be returning to The Home of God's Love on Monday (which will be Sunday night for us)! Praise the Lord for healing our baby boy! We are so thankful for good nurses, doctors and care givers! Please keep praying for him. He was supposed to come home today, but he still had some phlegm that they were concerned about.

We continue to wait for a court date in Taiwan and a fingerprinting appointment with USCIS in New Orleans. Please keep these two matters in your prayers.

Ted Skiles shared this verse with me a couple of times and I am going to pass it on to each of you.

"Like cold water to a weary soul is good news from a distant land." Proverbs 25:25

New Picture!

Nathanael continues to improve, but remains in the hospital. Please keep praying for him. We did get our February picture today though!

Nathanael is improving!

He has been moved from the ICU to the regular nursery at the hospital. Bev sent me the following in an email: "He still gets oxygen when he is in bed but a very low amount. He looked terrific. I sang to him and hugged and kissed him. At first he did not seem to recognize me with my facemask and gown on and then I got a big grin. He is not so sick and he is quite popular in the nursery. He is very responsive. I talked to the nurse caring for him but did not see a doctor. She said the pneumonia was not gone but he was much better...They say he still has phlegm but it is much thinner. They did not give me any possible time when he would get home from the hospital."
He also is eating more than he was before he got sick! Praise the Lord for his recovery and good care. I am so thankful for The Home of God's Love where he is loved and cared for, as well as the doctors and nurses who have taken such good care of him. Please keep praying for his continued recovery, but also praise God for how he has worked to help and heal my precious son so far. I think amazing things happen when we praise and thank God.

"The trumpeters and singers joined in unison, as with one voice, to give praise and thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, they raised their voices in praise to the Lord and sang:
'He is good;
His love endures forever.'
Then the temple of the Lord was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord filled the temple of God."---2 Chronicles 5:13-14